Laminated plastic metallized yarn and method for forming and dyeing the same



p 1970 w. G. SCHARF ,877 LAMINATED PLASTIC METALLIZED YARN AND METHOD 7 FOR FORMING AND DYEING THE SAME Filed June 22, 1967 m 0 Ti IL.

Gama MM 4 0445 0 Ti E. /'7'/M/? PAY lOP , Mfr/44 504/746 flail ji P4 Nww Pu Ah: 72- G 62% Amp/M67 United States Patent 3,528,877 LAMINATED PLASTIC METALLIZED YARN AND METHOD FOR FORMING AND DYEING THE SAME Walter G. Scharf, 243 Palmer Court,

Ridgewood, NJ. 07450 Filed June 22, 1967, Ser. No. 648,002

' Int. Cl. D02g 3/00 U.S. Cl. 161175 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates generally to textile yarns having a metallic appearance, and more particularly to a laminated yarn formed of metallized plies.

In one well-known commercial form, a metallized yarn is formed by two normally transparent plies having a strip of metal foil interposed therebetween. To provide a softer hand and as an improvement over such foil yarns, there is disclosed in the Prindle Pat. 2,714,569, a laminated yarn where in lieu of metal foil, an extremely thin deposit of metal is coated on one surface of a plastic base ply, a second plastic ply being secured by adhesive to the metallic coating of the base ply. These plies may be composed of cellulosic acetate butyrate or polymerized ethylene glycol terephthalate which is bi-axially oriented.

The metallic appearance of a yarn of the Prindle type depends on the deposit of metal which is applied to the base ply by thermal evaporation or cathodic sputtering methods. When the deposit is aluminum, the yarn or thread has a silvery appearance. The aluminum deposit is visible on one side of the yarn through the transparent base ply, whereas it is seen on the other side through both the transparent second ply and the adhesive layer. It is essential, therefore, that the adhesive layer have a high degree of transparency, otherwise the yarn will appear dull on the adhesive side.

Metallized yarns of the Prindle type are used to make textile fabrics, the metallized yarns often being combined with conventional yarns. Textile fabrics are subjected to a wide variety of processing baths, some of which contain dyestufl. While the Mylar plies used in the Prindle type yarn are generally resistant to staining agents included in processing baths, the adhesive layer tends to pick up color, as a consequence of which the yarn retains its silver appearance on one side but is of a different color on the other, for the adhesive layer is interposed between the metal deposit and the second ply. This is disadvantageous for the fabric does not then have its intended appearance.

Accordingly, it is the main object of this invention to provide a laminated, metallized yarn or thread having a brilliant metallic appearance and which may be processed in conventional piece dye baths and in scouring and cleaning baths, without its appearance being in any way affected.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a yarn of the above-described type, in which metallic layers deposited on transparent plies of synthetic plastic material are visible therethrough without the intervention of an adhesive layer.

3,528,877 Patented Sept. 15, 1970 A significant feature of theinvention is that the yarn in accordance with the invention is capable of resisting coloring when subjected to processing baths, or of picking up color, as desired, so that the user may choose to retain the original metallic appearance, or vary it.

Briefly stated, these objects are attained in a metallized yarn composed of two flexible plies of transparent synthetic plastic material, each of which has a metallic deposit thereon, the two plies being laminated together by a flexible adhesive layer which joins the metallic faces thereof, whereby the adhesive layer is concealed between the plies and the metallic deposits are visible on either side of the yarn through the transparent plies without the intervention of an adhesive layer.

For a better understanding of the invention, as well as other objects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following detailed description to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 schematically shows the system for producing a yarn in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the yarn.

Referring now to the drawing, and more particularly to FIG. 1, there are shown two supply rolls 10 and 11 of transparent flexible thermoplastic web material, one surface 10A and 11A of which is metallized. The web may be constituted by cellophane, acetate, tri-acetate, acetate butyrate, polymerized ethylene glycol terephthalate or any other suitable transparent and flexible material capable of being vacuum-plated. The thickness of the web should ordinarily not exceed 1 mil, but preferably it is a quarter of a mil, so that the laminate which combines two webs which are metallized and joined together by an adhesive layer, is not much greater than a half mil in thickness. This produces a fine yarn having a soft hand.

In the vacuum chamber, one surface of the film is metal-plated by gold, silver, aluminum, magnesium, titanium, nickel or any other metal, the thickness of the metal layer preferably not exceeding 5 of an inch. The deposition may be carried out by known thermal evaporation or cathode sputtering techniques. In thermal evaporation, metal vapor is generated by direct heat such as an electric arc source or a glowing filament. To effect maximum adherence of the plated film, the metal atoms should pass linearly from their source to the surface to be coated, and this requires the maintenance of pressures of about 10- of mercury in the vacuum chamber. In cathode sputtering, a high voltage is impressed between an anode and a cathode of the plating metal. The cathode is vaporized by positive-ion bombardment, some of the vapor diffusing away from the cathode and depositing on the web to be plated. The voltage requirements depend on the nature of the cathode metal. At pressures of 0.01 to 0.10 mm. of mercury necessary to maintain the glow discharge, the ordinary laws of diffusion prevail. After plating, the web is re-rolled in preparation for the lamination step.

Web 10 and 11 with the metallic surfaces facing each other, are conveyed through combining rollers 12 and 13. Applied in liquid form to metallized surface 10A of web 10 in advance of the combining roller is a liquid adhesive, the liquid being contained in a bath 14 and applied by roll 15.

Among the types of adhesive suitable for this purpose, are synthetic or natural thermoplastic resins having the requisite degree of tackiness, or resins in conjunction with a plasticizer. To the resin or plasticizer, may be added a cellulose derivative such as nitrocellulose or cellulose ethers with other modifying ingredients. A quantity of volatile solvent may be included to impart the desired viscosity to the adhesive. After being coated, the web passes through an oven 17 which may be of the camelback type to dry the adhesive so that it has some residual tackiness.

After being subjected to heat and pressure in the combining rolls which are heated to activate the thermoplastic adhesive, the laminated web is conducted throughrotary knives 18 and 19 which act to slit the web in'ac? cordance with the usual practice, to produce standard yarn widths, which run in the order of to Thus, as shown in FIG. 2, the yarn is composed of two transparent plies F and HP, whose metalized surfaces 10PA and llPA, are joined together by a layer of adhesive L. Thus one looking at the yarn, sees either metal surface 10PA or 11PA, depending on which side of the yarn he is looking at. Both metalized sides are equally brilliant, for no adhesive layer lies in the optical path.

The adhesive layer is sandwiched between the metalized coatings, hence it is concealed thereby. While the adhesive layer may be affected by processing baths and become stained, its color is not visible and it does not alfect the appearance of the yarn. Thus if the metallized laminated yarn in accordance with the invention is interwoven with conventional yarns to form a textile fabric which is thereafter piece-dyed, the conventional yarns will pick up the dye but the laminated yarn will not.

Mylar is preferred as the ply material, for this polyester plastic cannot be dyed in conventional dye systems. However, if it is desired to dye the laminated yarn, this can be done by the use of a swelling agent, such as Carolid, in conjunction with dispersed acetate dyes. In this way, other colors can be imparted to the laminated yarn, for the color thereof will be the resultant of the metal color and the color of the ply thereover.

While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of laminated metallized yarn in accordance with the invention, it will be appreciated that many changes and modifications may be made therein, without however, departing from the essential spirit of the invention as defined in the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. The method of forming a fine laminated metallized yam having a soft hand, comprising the steps of:

(A) vacuum-plating a surface of two webs formed of transparent, bi-axially oriented polymerized ethylene glycol terephthalate having a thickness no greater than one-quarter of a mil with aluminum having a thickness not exceeding 5 of an inch,

' (B) applying a solution of a dyeable thermoplastic adhesive to the metallized surface of one of the webs to form an adhesive layer,

(C) heating thefadhesive layer to dry it to a degree effecting residual tackiness,

(D) introducing the two webs with their metallized surfaces in face-to-face relationship into heated combining rollers to activate the tacky adhesive layer and to effect lamination of the webs,

(E) slitting'the laminated web to yarn size to form a fine laminated metallized yarn,

(F) subjecting theyarn to a swelling agent to render the two webs receptive to dyeing agents,

(G) and dyeing the treated webs with a color which in combination with the color of aluminum produces a different color.

2. A yarn made by this method set forth in claim 1.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,714,569 8/1955 Prindle et al. 161-175 2,974,055 3/1961 Scharf 1612l4 3,170,833 2/196-5 Noyes 161--2l4 ROBERT F. BURNETT, Primary Examiner W. A. POWELL, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

